Vietnam,...a Vietnamese_American expat's perspective.
Last activity 08 November 2019 by OceanBeach92107
Subscribe to the topic
Post new topic
Please note the following is not the considered opinion of the OP, but a forwarded copy of a post made to the Quora_Home social media platform. It is posted here, simply for academic considerations only,
...especially for those SE Asia “Retirement” location seeking western expats. Thank you,... 
What is wrong with Vietnam? ....Answered on Apr 23, 2018,...by Theresa Tran (a U.S. citizen)
"First,…I am 100% Vietnamese, but born in America and raised by Vietnamese parents who found their way to America after the war ended. I’ve visited Vietnam over 20 times—each time spanning from 2 weeks to 4 months (depending on my employment status at the time).
There are many things ‘wrong’ with Vietnam but bear in mind there are a thousand things that make Vietnam a wonderful place to visit and even live. Below are tidbits of my personal experience.
1. CORRUPTION is the number one problem in Vietnam. It leads to distrust in the government, poor public services and overall a harsher lifestyle for everyone. I will give firsthand examples of each below.
a.Government: - As one other writer, Nho Pham, here noted: Vietnam has ranked 119 out of 174 countries and territories in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2014. Here are some examples I’ve witnessed:
i. Airports: - Growing up, my parents always made sure to get to TSN airport in HCM with cash in hand. We always stuffed $10 and $20 bills in our passports to get by with no issues. It wasn’t until I was about 18, that I started experiencing the hassles at the passport desk. While I thought speaking Vietnamese would spark some sort of common understanding—I quickly learned that just replying in English made them go away. Money was always requested before you departed the baggage claim. A man once told me “I know you have like iPhones in your bag, just give me $20 for coffee and you can go.”
ii. Law Enforcement: - A few years ago, my dad purchased a van for my family in Vietnam to use to run a business and to drive our family around. We were pulled over for a small traffic violation. The officer approached my dad’s driver's side window and he asked him to explain what happened. As my dad started talking the officer interrupted him and said: “Wait, you’re American here on holiday aren’t you?” My dad insisted we’re just visiting our family and to please let us go......
Then he (the police officer) prompted my family to step out of the car. They confiscated our vehicle and we had to take a cab home—all 7+ of us. That night, my dad received a call and he was given the name of a restaurant. The officer showed up with his other officer friends and proceeded with a night of feasting, drinking, and girls. At the end of the night, after my dad picked up the bill—he said he’d be in contact. The next night, they told him to meet at yet another restaurant. Only after another night, did we get our car back. This is the most extreme of cases.
iii. I’ve had another incident where my cousin was told “this isn’t even enough money for coffee” after being pulled over and being prompted for a bribe. She forked over 500,000 VND. The average cost of a cup of coffee is around 25,000 dong. I had to give her all the cash I had as well. Only then, did he let us go.
Another incident while riding on a motorbike with my (young and attractive, lol) aunt, the officer asked her where she lived and when she responded she doesn’t know her address, he asked how she was going to get home. She responded, please just take the cash and help me out and let me go. He then asked for her number and when she said she didn’t know it, he responded by asking how would he contact her to hang out if she didn’t know it. Many more of these experiences that I’ll spare.
iv. Running a business: - I once asked my dad while eating at a restaurant on the street, this is such a nice little business. Why don’t we run one like this? He replied, “Who’s going to let us do such a thing?” Growing up American, I asked what he meant. He told me stories of how law enforcement operates much like the mafia. He told me without “permission,” that once you set up shop, men IN UNIFORM would come to turn your restaurant upside down, asking you who gave you permission to be here. While I haven’t experienced this one, firsthand, there seem to be “fees” associated with running a small business in the city that many people, aside from my dad have spoken of.
2. Public Services
a. Roads - Roads that connect cities to one another are often riddled with broke concrete that exposes giant pieces of rocks underneath that concrete. When I asked why the Vietnamese roads are not paved with smooth concrete or at least smaller rocks, the response always is something along the lines of “Yes, that’s the way it should be—if someone wasn’t taking a cut. These roads are cheated. The materials are cheap because by the time the money gets passed down to the actual road construction, there is very little left.”
b. Schools - No education is free. At the college level, students who opt to major in disciplines such as Marxism are given discounts, lol.
c. Buses - Anyone who has ridden a Vietnamese bus already knows how different this is.
d. Hospitals - Man oh man, when my grandma was in the hospital, a public one due to her health insurance, I had an eye-opening experience. People were doubled up on beds. Nurses don’t care for patients as they do in the states—they’re only there to administer medicine, check vitals, etc. Each patient has a family member who sleeps on the floor next to their bed and tends to them.
These caregivers are seen in the bathrooms pouring bodily fluids, that on the LIVER ILLNESSES hospital floor, for example, come from the liver lol into the sinks in the restroom. Golly. At night, patients waiting for care sleep on the lobby floor along with family members. No soap in bathrooms. Coolers with bags of blood, that caretakers have to purchase from the pharmacy downstairs, sit at the foot of the patients’ beds waiting for the nurses. Beds are pushed out to the balconies and fill up space there because the rooms are full or are simply too hot.
3. See how these few things can make life a little harder?
a.In addition to the things above, there seems to be no regulation of drugs or food and no one monitoring the quality or safety. Also, it seems like brands are free to make any claims they want without any repercussions. Interesting, right?
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to answer this question."
https://www.quora.com/What-is-wrong-wit … esa-Tran-7
Rahj_Devon wrote:Thank you Jana611 for posting this.... This is so truth and it is sad of seeing people have to go through this. I think Vietnam is on the path of getting better but it is going very slow compare to any other country...
Fyi ~ There are no "any other countries" for comparison. Vietnam is in a SE Asian league of its own...
From a cultural point of view,...Vietnam is the exact same country...it was 50 years ago, from what I've been told by Vietnamese people,...in the know.
Thus,...please do not "hold your breath"...while waiting for Vietnam to up-grade "itself",...even to a par values level...with other SE Asian countries. That's just "the way" it is,..in VN,...from what I've been told.
jana611 wrote:From a cultural point of view,...Vietnam is the exact same country...it was 50 years ago, from what I've been told by Vietnamese people,...in the know.
That's not true. I was in my late teens 50 years ago, and the country was better all around.
Fifty years ago, every high school graduate was able to read, write, and speak 2 foreign languages after 7 years of 1st foreign language at 7 hrs/wk and 3 years of 2nd foreign language at 5 hrs/wk, all without any cost to the parents. That's public school education.
Fifty years ago, attending university overseas (mostly France, Switzerland, Germany, the US, and Canada) was not a pipe dream even if one was not born into a rich family. Two reasons:
1/ merit scholarships were available
2/ student visa was not difficult to attain
In my extended family alone, there were 6 people who studied overseas: two in France, one in Canada, one in Switzerland, and two in the US. All but one received full scholarship.
Fifty years ago, during my first year in college, I worked part time in a doctor's office. My interview lasted almost 2 hours and consisted of: reading comprehension and conversation in French, taking dictation by hand, then typing the transcript in both Vietnamese and French, with some English translation when needed. I doubt there are many 18 years old in Vietnam today who can pass the interview, let alone perform that required duty regularly.
Fifty years ago, we already had washing machine and TV in our house, and we were only middle class (educators did not earn big salary). My brothers drove a Simca and a Citroën 2CV; I rode a Honda Dame to school and work.
Fifty years ago, popular movies, music, and books from Europe and the US were also popular in Vietnam. My generation was well versed on Chanson Française, Sartre, Sagan, Proust, Camus, Joseph Heller, Hermann Hesse, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Solzhenitsyn, Erich Maria Remarque, etc. Many of us read the books, sang the songs, and watched the movies in the original languages. For my major, I was required to take another year of French and English, plus one year of Sanskrit and Chinese (just enough to read selected paragraphs of Foundation of Knowledge and Lao Tzu.)
Fifty years ago, there's a nightly program on the radio called Âm Nhạc Cổ Điển Bình Giải (Classical Music Commentary) in which all the classical works ever composed were played and explained in details to the listeners. I don't remember when the program debuted, only that my father introduced it to me when I was 9, and I listened every night until I entered college.
Fifty years ago, supermarkets, escalators (the first one was in Grands Magasins Charner aka Thương Xá TAX), and A/C were already part of life in Saigon.
I could write more, but nostalgia has its time and place.
jana611 wrote:Thus,...please do not "hold your breath"...while waiting for Vietnam to up-grade "itself",...even to a par values level...with other SE Asian countries. That's just "the way" it is,..in VN,...from what I've been told.
Constant comparing one country to another only brings joy to the whiners and the disgruntled hearts.
The way I see it, if a person doesn't like a country, there's no reason for him/her to continue staying/working there unless s/he doesn't have a choice.
To anyone who doesn't live in a particular country: what's the purpose of incessantly pointing out that country's negative points? It's not as if we don't know about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the society in which we live.
I've learned a lot in almost 7 decades of living and travelling the world. One of the things I learned is that holding on to a strong dislike of something to the point of nonstop harping is not the best way to live. If you can't do anything about it, let it go.
jana611 wrote:Rahj_Devon wrote:Thank you Jana611 for posting this.... This is so truth and it is sad of seeing people have to go through this. I think Vietnam is on the path of getting better but it is going very slow compare to any other country...
Fyi ~ There are no "any other countries" for comparison. Vietnam is in a SE Asian league of its own...
From a cultural point of view,...Vietnam is the exact same country...it was 50 years ago, from what I've been told by Vietnamese people,...in the know.
Thus,...please do not "hold your breath"...while waiting for Vietnam to up-grade "itself",...even to a par values level...with other SE Asian countries. That's just "the way" it is,..in VN,...from what I've been told.
Thank you for your sharing, but it doesn’t make sense, you should go back to USA and have better life with less complaints.
Ciambella wrote:jana611 wrote:From a cultural point of view,...Vietnam is the exact same country...it was 50 years ago, from what I've been told by Vietnamese people,...in the know.
That's not true. I was in my late teens 50 years ago, and the country was better all around.
Fifty years ago, every high school graduate was able to read, write, and speak 2 foreign languages after 7 years of 1st foreign language at 7 hrs/wk and 3 years of 2nd foreign language at 5 hrs/wk, all without any cost to the parents. That's public school education.
Fifty years ago, attending university overseas (mostly France, Switzerland, Germany, the US, and Canada) was not a pipe dream even if one was not born into a rich family. Two reasons:
1/ merit scholarships were available
2/ student visa was not difficult to attain
In my extended family alone, there were 6 people who studied overseas: two in France, one in Canada, one in Switzerland, and two in the US. All but one received full scholarship.
Fifty years ago, during my first year in college, I worked part time in a doctor's office. My interview lasted almost 2 hours and consisted of: reading comprehension and conversation in French, taking dictation by hand, then typing the transcript in both Vietnamese and French, with some English translation when needed. I doubt there are many 18 years old in Vietnam today who can pass the interview, let alone perform that required duty regularly.
Fifty years ago, we already had washing machine and TV in our house, and we were only middle class (educators did not earn big salary). My brothers drove a Simca and a Citroën 2CV; I rode a Honda Dame to school and work.
Fifty years ago, popular movies, music, and books from Europe and the US were also popular in Vietnam. My generation was well versed on Chanson Française, Sartre, Sagan, Proust, Camus, Joseph Heller, Hermann Hesse, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, The Beatles, Dusty Springfield, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Solzhenitsyn, Erich Maria Remarque, etc. Many of us read the books, sang the songs, and watched the movies in the original languages. For my major, I was required to take another year of French and English, plus one year of Sanskrit and Chinese (just enough to read selected paragraphs of Foundation of Knowledge and Lao Tzu.)
Fifty years ago, there's a nightly program on the radio called Âm Nhạc Cổ Điển Bình Giải (Classical Music Commentary) in which all the classical works ever composed were played and explained in details to the listeners. I don't remember when the program debuted, only that my father introduced it to me when I was 9, and I listened every night until I entered college.
Fifty years ago, supermarkets, escalators (the first one was in Grands Magasins Charner aka Thương Xá TAX), and A/C were already part of life in Saigon.
I could write more, but nostalgia has its time and place.jana611 wrote:Thus,...please do not "hold your breath"...while waiting for Vietnam to up-grade "itself",...even to a par values level...with other SE Asian countries. That's just "the way" it is,..in VN,...from what I've been told.
Constant comparing one country to another only brings joy to the whiners and the disgruntled hearts.
The way I see it, if a person doesn't like a country, there's no reason for him/her to continue staying/working there unless s/he doesn't have a choice.
To anyone who doesn't live in a particular country: what's the purpose of incessantly pointing out that country's negative points? It's not as if we don't know about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the society in which we live.
I've learned a lot in almost 7 decades of living and travelling the world. One of the things I learned is that holding on to a strong dislike of something to the point of nonstop harping is not the best way to live. If you can't do anything about it, let it go.
You're absolutely right ^,...sir!
Contem talk wrote:jana611 wrote:Rahj_Devon wrote:Thank you Jana611 for posting this.... This is so truth and it is sad of seeing people have to go through this. I think Vietnam is on the path of getting better but it is going very slow compare to any other country...
Fyi ~ There are no "any other countries" for comparison. Vietnam is in a SE Asian league of its own...
From a cultural point of view,...Vietnam is the exact same country...it was 50 years ago, from what I've been told by Vietnamese people,...in the know.
Thus,...please do not "hold your breath"...while waiting for Vietnam to up-grade "itself",...even to a par values level...with other SE Asian countries. That's just "the way" it is,..in VN,...from what I've been told.
Thank you for your sharing, but it doesn’t make sense, you should go back to USA and have better life with less complaints.
Firstly,...the topic-comment point is about Vietnam,...compared to other SE Asian nations,...not the U.S.A.
Secondly (FYI),..I do not post comments to this forum, due to some pubescent need to prove my knowledge base (to complete strangers) with verbose, one-upmanship challenge games...toward other subscribers. Done.
In fact,..I simply post the information conveyed to me by home-grown (non-HI_SO) Vietnamese citizens. Those folks are certainly more knowledgeable than me,... 
particularly so regarding the traditional (inner_workings) "system of things" within their own culture.
Thanks to Buddha,...I was not born a "know-it-all". Moving progressively along...with no complaints.
Jim-Minh wrote:<<< You're absolutely right ^,...sir >>>
Ciambella is a very dear lady.
Merci,..! Madam/Monsieur,...bon soir!
jana611 wrote:Firstly,...the topic-comment point is about Vietnam,...compared to other SE Asian nations,...not the U.S.A.
Secondly (FYI),..I do not post comments to this forum, due to some pubescent need to prove my knowledge base (to complete strangers) with verbose, one-upmanship challenge games...toward other subscribers. Done.
In fact,..I simply post the information conveyed to me by home-grown (non-HI_SO) Vietnamese citizens. Those folks are certainly more knowledgeable than me,...
Thanks to Buddha,...I was not born a "know-it-all". Moving progressively along...with no complaints.
So what exactly is your point?
I seem to have missed it.
You repost other's negative comments about Vietnam and then play the innocent bystander, with no responsibility for those words.
that's pretty much the definition of Fake News. "I heard ..."
"But I'm not a bad person, because i did not say that!"
And what's your connection to Vietnam?
Just asking
jana611 wrote:Firstly,...the topic-comment point is about Vietnam,...compared to other SE Asian nations,...not the U.S.A.
Secondly (FYI),..I do not post comments to this forum, due to some pubescent need to prove my knowledge base (to complete strangers) with verbose, one-upmanship challenge games...toward other subscribers. Done.
In fact,..I simply post the information conveyed to me by home-grown (non-HI_SO) Vietnamese citizens. Those folks are certainly more knowledgeable than me,...
Thanks to Buddha,...I was not born a "know-it-all". Moving progressively along...with no complaints.
So what exactly is your point?
I seem to have missed it.
You repost other's negative comments about Vietnam and then play the innocent bystander, with no responsibility for those words.
that's pretty much the definition of Fake News. "I heard ..."
"But I'm not a bad person, because i did not say that!"
And what's your connection to Vietnam?
Just asking
Anyone who thinks that the small-time petty corruption in Vietnam or other SE Asian countries holds a candle to the pandemic systemic corruption in, for example, Europe and the USA needs to pull their heads out of their arses, turn off the propaganda-box and learn to think for themselves.
In the West we are robbed blind from cradle to grave seven ways from Sunday. Sure, it's dressed up in a fancy veneer but it's orders of magnitude more oppressive than anything in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a long way from perfect but there are good reasons that so many Westerners prefer life here, it isn't just because stuff is a bit cheaper...
And most of the Vietnamese people I've met have been awesome, many of them force me to up my game, complete opposite of the brainwashed entitled halfwits that constitute much of Western populations.
Damn, that was a fine cup of coffee. 
Brick23 wrote:Anyone who thinks that the small-time petty corruption in Vietnam or other SE Asian countries holds a candle to the pandemic systemic corruption in, for example, Europe and the USA needs to pull their heads out of their arses, turn off the propaganda-box and learn to think for themselves.
In the West we are robbed blind from cradle to grave seven ways from Sunday. Sure, it's dressed up in a fancy veneer but it's orders of magnitude more oppressive than anything in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a long way from perfect but there are good reasons that so many Westerners prefer life here, it isn't just because stuff is a bit cheaper...
And most of the Vietnamese people I've met have been awesome, many of them force me to up my game, complete opposite of the brainwashed entitled halfwits that constitute much of Western populations.
Damn, that was a fine cup of coffee.
Looks like things didnt work out for you in a Western society.
jana611 wrote:Contem talk wrote:jana611 wrote:
Fyi ~ There are no "any other countries" for comparison. Vietnam is in a SE Asian league of its own...
From a cultural point of view,...Vietnam is the exact same country...it was 50 years ago, from what I've been told by Vietnamese people,...in the know.
Thus,...please do not "hold your breath"...while waiting for Vietnam to up-grade "itself",...even to a par values level...with other SE Asian countries. That's just "the way" it is,..in VN,...from what I've been told.
Thank you for your sharing, but it doesn’t make sense, you should go back to USA and have better life with less complaints.
Firstly,...the topic-comment point is about Vietnam,...compared to other SE Asian nations,...not the U.S.A.
Secondly (FYI),..I do not post comments to this forum, due to some pubescent need to prove my knowledge base (to complete strangers) with verbose, one-upmanship challenge games...toward other subscribers. Done.
In fact,..I simply post the information conveyed to me by home-grown (non-HI_SO) Vietnamese citizens. Those folks are certainly more knowledgeable than me,...
Thanks to Buddha,...I was not born a "know-it-all". Moving progressively along...with no complaints.
Just admit that you are trolling.
colinoscapee wrote:Looks like things didnt work out for you in a Western society.
I do OK most places, but Western society isn't so kind to many and is heading downhill fast.
So yes, I prefer life here 
Brick23 wrote:Anyone who thinks that the small-time petty corruption in Vietnam or other SE Asian countries holds a candle to the pandemic systemic corruption in, for example, Europe and the USA needs to pull their heads out of their arses, turn off the propaganda-box and learn to think for themselves.
In the West we are robbed blind from cradle to grave seven ways from Sunday. Sure, it's dressed up in a fancy veneer but it's orders of magnitude more oppressive than anything in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a long way from perfect but there are good reasons that so many Westerners prefer life here, it isn't just because stuff is a bit cheaper...
And most of the Vietnamese people I've met have been awesome, many of them force me to up my game, complete opposite of the brainwashed entitled halfwits that constitute much of Western populations.
Damn, that was a fine cup of coffee.
Putting the West on the same level as Vietnam or other emerging economies in terms of corruption is a joke.
There is a corruption index.
Or do you think that's fake news?
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018
Wxx3 wrote:jana611 wrote:Firstly,...the topic-comment point is about Vietnam,...compared to other SE Asian nations,...not the U.S.A.
Secondly (FYI),..I do not post comments to this forum, due to some pubescent need to prove my knowledge base (to complete strangers) with verbose, one-upmanship challenge games...toward other subscribers. Done.
In fact,..I simply post the information conveyed to me by home-grown (non-HI_SO) Vietnamese citizens. Those folks are certainly more knowledgeable than me,...
Thanks to Buddha,...I was not born a "know-it-all". Moving progressively along...with no complaints.
So what exactly is your point?
I seem to have missed it.
You repost other's negative comments about Vietnam and then play the innocent bystander, with no responsibility for those words.
that's pretty much the definition of Fake News. "I heard ..."
"But I'm not a bad person, because i did not say that!"
And what's your connection to Vietnam?
Just asking
OceanBeach92107 wrote:jana611 wrote:Contem talk wrote:Thank you for your sharing, but it doesn’t make sense, you should go back to USA and have better life with less complaints.
Firstly,...the topic-comment point is about Vietnam,...compared to other SE Asian nations,...not the U.S.A.
Secondly (FYI),..I do not post comments to this forum, due to some pubescent need to prove my knowledge base (to complete strangers) with verbose, one-upmanship challenge games...toward other subscribers. Done.
In fact,..I simply post the information conveyed to me by home-grown (non-HI_SO) Vietnamese citizens. Those folks are certainly more knowledgeable than me,...
Thanks to Buddha,...I was not born a "know-it-all". Moving progressively along...with no complaints.
Just admit that you are trolling.
No sir!,...I'm not trolling. In fact, I'm quite disappointed in you for making that accusation.
Actually,..I was of the impression that you ranked among the more "cognizant" expats,... regarding the real world of things VN. Wrong again,...I suppose. Nobody's perfect,...eh?
Anyway, thank you for your kindly help to me,...on the forum. Good day to you.
AkaMaverick wrote:Putting the West on the same level as Vietnam or other emerging economies in terms of corruption is a joke.
There is a corruption index.
Or do you think that's fake news?
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018
That index is based on perceived corruption. It's a subjective approach. There's less occurrences of corruption in the West but when they happen, they're for huge amounts. So I'm not sure what's best, thousands of bribes of $20 to a police officer or public servant in Vietnam or a few hundreds bribes of USD$20M+ to government ministers in the West? It happens less, but for much bigger amounts.
Personally, I love Vietnam because this is the only country where I can actually afford a bribe 
jana611 wrote:Actually,..I was of the impression that you are "cognizant",...regarding the real world of VN. Wrong again,...I suppose.
Anyway, thank you for your kindly help to me,...on the forum. Good day to you.
Yeah, knowing the world through "people in the know" instead of knowing it yourself is an amazing may to discover the world. It's like travelling with Google Earth. A cheap and efficient way to open your mind to other cultures!
WillyBaldy wrote:jana611 wrote:Actually,..I was of the impression that you are "cognizant",...regarding the real world of VN. Wrong again,...I suppose.
Anyway, thank you for your kindly help to me,...on the forum. Good day to you.
Yeah, knowing the world through "people in the know" instead of knowing it yourself is an amazing may to discover the world. It's like travelling with Google Earth. A cheap and efficient way to open your mind to other cultures!
Thank you for making the effort to actually read my comments.
jana611 wrote:WillyBaldy wrote:jana611 wrote:Actually,..I was of the impression that you are "cognizant",...regarding the real world of VN. Wrong again,...I suppose.
Anyway, thank you for your kindly help to me,...on the forum. Good day to you.
Yeah, knowing the world through "people in the know" instead of knowing it yourself is an amazing may to discover the world. It's like travelling with Google Earth. A cheap and efficient way to open your mind to other cultures!
Thank you for making the effort to actually read my comments.
I think you missed the irony in my reply but this just adds to the fun. Thanks for your support 
WillyBaldy wrote:jana611 wrote:WillyBaldy wrote:Yeah, knowing the world through "people in the know" instead of knowing it yourself is an amazing may to discover the world. It's like travelling with Google Earth. A cheap and efficient way to open your mind to other cultures!
Thank you for making the effort to actually read my comments.
I think you missed the irony in my reply but this just adds to the fun. Thanks for your support
"It's like travelling with Google Earth.",..etc.?
WillyBaldy wrote:jana611 wrote:WillyBaldy wrote:Yeah, knowing the world through "people in the know" instead of knowing it yourself is an amazing may to discover the world. It's like travelling with Google Earth. A cheap and efficient way to open your mind to other cultures!
Thank you for making the effort to actually read my comments.
I think you missed the irony in my reply but this just adds to the fun. Thanks for your support
BTW,..English is my third language.
Anyway,...I was advised,...(during my childhood days),...that it is wise to learn the lessons of life, ...through the experiences of people...who have already been there, done that,...and have the T-shirts to prove it. So much for my "troll" postings,...eh? 
Books have been written about western expats, in SE Asia,...determined to learn "everything" about local cultural values,...and realities...the hard way.
One such book is "Money Number One", by Aloysius Bartholemew Thistlewaite (a Brit). I read the book 10 years ago, and I was totally stunned and learned a lot about myself, and my own people,...as seen through the eyes of a westerner.
Since that reading, I have paid close, more objective observations to those western perspectives, as noted in that book. Sadly,...I must now admit, the author was approx. 90% spot-on.
Three follow-ups to that book, by Neil Hutchison, are "A Fool in Paradise",...The Fool Is Back" (for an encore) and "A Fools Diary" (conclusively).
Now,...SE Asian (Buddhist) cultural values are "fundamentally" the same,...across the board.
Sadly,...SE Asian people (across the board) are burdened with the exact same societal issues. There are huge (economic) "disparity" issues between those who have,...and those have not. And,..that scenario is a historically,...long-standing,...irrefutable fact,...not a fantasy.
As previously stated, a government that refuses to accept its own national currency, as legal tender paid,...for services rendered to a foreigner, vis-a-vis,...is certainly not a SE Asian location, that a SE Asian person would choose for retirement living,...regardless of pristine beachfront locations.
Remember..,.the wise western adage "When in Rome,...etc."...? Arrivederci...folks 
Brick23 wrote:Anyone who thinks that the small-time petty corruption in Vietnam or other SE Asian countries holds a candle to the pandemic systemic corruption in, for example, Europe and the USA needs to pull their heads out of their arses, turn off the propaganda-box and learn to think for themselves.
In the West we are robbed blind from cradle to grave seven ways from Sunday. Sure, it's dressed up in a fancy veneer but it's orders of magnitude more oppressive than anything in Vietnam.
Vietnam is a long way from perfect but there are good reasons that so many Westerners prefer life here, it isn't just because stuff is a bit cheaper...
And most of the Vietnamese people I've met have been awesome, many of them force me to up my game, complete opposite of the brainwashed entitled halfwits that constitute much of Western populations.
Damn, that was a fine cup of coffee.
Compared to what I've been told, by several U.S. expats, your post is spot on. Also,...I have heard some interesting success stories about the former Vietnamese (boat) people,... in the U.S.
Indeed,...I also have an abiding respect for the Vietnamese "people". Sadly, they are (obviously) plagued with the same form of power-elite government "personnel"...as their U.S. counterparts.
And yes, your post was a fine "cup of coffee". Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
WillyBaldy wrote:AkaMaverick wrote:Putting the West on the same level as Vietnam or other emerging economies in terms of corruption is a joke.
There is a corruption index.
Or do you think that's fake news?
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018
That index is based on perceived corruption. It's a subjective approach. There's less occurrences of corruption in the West but when they happen, they're for huge amounts. So I'm not sure what's best, thousands of bribes of $20 to a police officer or public servant in Vietnam or a few hundreds bribes of USD$20M+ to government ministers in the West? It happens less, but for much bigger amounts.
Personally, I love Vietnam because this is the only country where I can actually afford a bribe
I wouldnt call the 4.8 billion usd Vinashin debacle small corruption, or the billions stolen by Petro officials and banking officials.
colinoscapee wrote:WillyBaldy wrote:AkaMaverick wrote:Putting the West on the same level as Vietnam or other emerging economies in terms of corruption is a joke.
There is a corruption index.
Or do you think that's fake news?
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018
That index is based on perceived corruption. It's a subjective approach. There's less occurrences of corruption in the West but when they happen, they're for huge amounts. So I'm not sure what's best, thousands of bribes of $20 to a police officer or public servant in Vietnam or a few hundreds bribes of USD$20M+ to government ministers in the West? It happens less, but for much bigger amounts.
Personally, I love Vietnam because this is the only country where I can actually afford a bribe
I wouldnt call the 4.8 billion usd Vinashin debacle small corruption, or the billions stolen by Petro officials and banking officials.
There's definitely some events with huge amounts, put it pales compared to countries like U.S.A with economies worth trillions of dollars. Just now I'm seeing this on Bloomberg:
"Ex-Credit Suisse Banker Says He Hid $45 Million Worth of Bribes. Pearse tells Brooklyn jury other bankers also accepted bribes".
Also, I come from Québec where there was a huge corruption scandal over many years, with mayors and some Prime Ministers having accepted huge bribes from construction mafias. Add the SNC-Lavalin corruption debacle to the list (and Trudeau's attempted interference against the Justice System).
I'm not really trying to compare Vietnamese corruption versus corruption in the West, but I just think that "corruption index" is way to biased and subjective to be a true reference. Yes, it happens everywhere in Vietnam but 80% of it is "petty corruption" although for the poor Vietnamese this is a huge burden on their heads.
Articles to help you in your expat project in Vietnam
Dating In VietnamIf you're considering moving to Hanoi, or Ho Chi Minh City, the dating scene may be of interest to you. ...
Making phone calls in VietnamThe telecommunications sector in Vietnam has flourished throughout the past two decades. Like many foreigners, ...
Moving to Vietnam with your petIf you are planning to move to Vietnam with a pet, there are a number of formalities that have to be completed ...
Getting married in VietnamHave you met that perfect someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with? Luckily, getting married in ...
Driving in VietnamVietnam is known for four categories of lush and diverse landscapes, and one of the easiest ways to see firsthand ...
The most popular neighbourhoods in HanoiFormerly known as Thang Long, Vietnam's present capital city was renamed Hanoi in 1831. This enchanting, ...
Sports activities in HanoiWe know there's a lot of attention on the drinking culture in Hanoi, but what about the options for a healthy ...
Working in VietnamAnyone thinking about working in Vietnam is in for a treat. Compared to many Western countries, Vietnam's ...
